It's A New Game
by Calamity And Chaos
Summary: Natalie Cordelle is in her second year at the prestigious Blythe Academy. She figures it'll be a nice, quiet year, but little does she know her whole world is about to be turned upside down! Rated T for now, because who knows what'll happen?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, welcome to my first story that isn't predicated by character profiles. You know how it gets, you just get the urge to write! I'm not sure whether this'll be a drabble, a oneshot, or a huge new story, but let's see where it takes me, kay? :D**

Natalie hefted her stuff out of the car with one big lurch. As if moving to a new city hadn't been enough, she had managed to bring a lot of books, almost her entire personal library, with her. As she lifted the heavy box out of the back of the car and dropped it onto the curb, a man in a tailored blue suit stepped forward.  
"Miss, are you sure you don't want help unloading and unpacking your things? I'd be more than happy to carry a few things for you."

Natalie smiled and shook her head ruefully. "No thanks, George, I have to get used to doing things on my own. Especially if I'm in a new city." The man looked slightly distressed, but bowed his head respectfully and returned to the front of the car. She piled another box on top of the first one, and picked them both up as one. Her driver, George, sent a worried look her way, and took a few steps towards her, but she smiled reassuringly and said "I'll be fine, as long as you get the door." George nodded and dashed up the front steps to open it for her. She nodded to him and said, I'll be right back down, just give me a few minutes. Don't do anything to help me while I'm gone." George was startled, and his face took on a guilty expression. She had known him long enough to know he had been thinking of doing just that. She simply chuckled and began walking towards the elevator. As she approached, she noticed a young asian girl just stepping on.

"Hold the elevator!" She cried, and was relieved to see the girl notice her, and grab hold of the doors. Five flights of stairs was not something she had in mind for herself. She rushed in, and smiled at the girl, who smiled politely back.

"Which floor?" The girl asked, and Natalie could tell the girl was fresh from Japan. She was having a little trouble forming her Ls and Rs correctly, and Natalie's smile softened.

"Five." she said confidently, and the girl nodded and pressed the button. "So are you a new student at the university?" Natalie asked kindly, and the girl nodded. "Yes, I am on exchange from Japan." The girl turned and asked, "Are you new as well?" and Natalie nodded. She could tell the girl had been practising her English, and thought it might be appropriate to compliment her. "Your English is very good." She stated, and the girl smiled and thanked her.

"My name is Natalie, what's yours?" The girl frowned for a moment before responding with "My name is Haruhi." Natalie smiled and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you Haruhi. I'm in apartment 503 if you ever feel like visiting." Haruhi's smile widened, and she said, "Thank you. I am in apartment 607, if you ever want to stop by." Natalie's smile grew, and she said, "I think I will."  
Just then the elevator dinged, and the door opened to reveal Natalie's floor. She stepped out and said, "Well, I'll see you around Haruhi. I'll make sure to stop by once I'm all settled." Haruhi nodded enthusiastically, and said, "Please do. It will help to practise my English." Natalie laughed, and turned to walk towards her apartment as the elevator doors shut behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: There are a few things that need to be noted here, before this story goes any further. For plot development and character interaction, Hunny will be in the same classes as Kyouya and Tamaki. As well, Natalie is the same age as Kyouya and Tamaki, but is in the same classes as Mori. Lastly, Everyone has been placed in university for the transfer, retaining the same year as they were in the manga series in highschool. Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru are in their first year, Tamaki and Kyouya in the second, and Hunny and Mori in their third. For all intents and purposes, despite her age, Natalie will be placed in the third year as well.**

**The whole idea behind this time/age skip is that I want to be able to have all of the characters interacting on a regular basis, without adhering to the manga storyline. As well, following along the lines of Bisco Hatori, all graduations will be completely ignored. Thank you. (- -) *bows***

_Bien dans sa peau_ = content, at ease with oneself, comfortable

Natalie went downstairs again after depositing her things inside her apartment. She walked outside just in time to see George slam the trunk shut, the last box and bag placed on the curb of the sidewalk. She smiled, and said teasingly, "Now, what was that I said about not helping me?" George jumped, startled, and looked up at her in a nervous but determined gaze.

"Well, Miss," He said carefully, "I figured that you'll have the entire school year to work out how to do things on your own, whereas this is the last time I'll be able to help you for the next few months." Natalie's smile grew, and she said, "I've got to give you that one. Thank you, George, that was very thoughtful." George smiled, relieved she wasn't upset, but his smile faded as she stepped in front of him for a goodbye. "Now you take care of yourself, Miss." He said seriously, and Natalie laughed slightly, enjoying his concern.

"Don't you worry, George. I know you're just a phone call and a twenty minute drive away."

George's serious look faded, and he smiled fondly as she reached up and hugged him. He responded with interest, his care and concern for the girl he had watched grow up showing through at last.

"I'll miss you, my dear Natalie." She responded by hugging him ever tighter, and saying, "I'll miss you too, George." She let go finally, and George tipped his hat one last time before climbing into the car. Natalie smiled and waved, and as the car disappeared from sight she took a deep breath. Finally, gathering her resolve, she slung the designer backpack onto her shoulder, grabbed the last box, and climbed the stairs to her new home.

Natalie was just carrying a box of dishes into the kitchenette, intent on unpacking the delicate items first, when an enormous bang echoed from the floor above hers. Dropping the box in surprise, and ignoring the resultant crash of broken dishes, she stared at the ceiling in wonder.

"What on earth was that?" She asked aloud, and as a second bang occurred, she decided to go investigate immediately. She sped out the door, grabbing her key and allowing the door to close behind her, and made her way to the stairs as other curious dorm residents opened their doors to look around in confusion. One boy spotted her, and called out in a British accent, "Oi! Is there some building work goin' on or somethin'?" Natalie shrugged and replied, "That's what I'm on my way to find out." She passed him and opened the door to the stairs. If there was construction going on, you never knew if it could intefere with the power, and Natalie wasn't about to let herself get trapped in an elevator on her first day on her own. Her parents would order her straight home after finding out, and she'd be back to the private tutors and upscale ladies college which she so despised.

"Calm down girl, just a few noises." She told herself as she climbed the stairs. She opened the door to the hallway just as a third bang echoed from a room farther up on her left. She made it to the doorway just in time to see a rather attractive blonde boy fall flat on his face in front of an antique coffee table with a resounding fourth and final bang, as five other boys and a sixth, more familiar face watched.

"Um, is everything okay here? Only, you're making a rather large amount of noise." Natalie spoke up politely, and everyone in the room turned to look at her.

"Natalie-san!" Haruhi said in recognition, and Natalie smiled and made a little wave.

"Hey." She said as the blonde stood up and asked Haruhi something in Japanese. She responded in Japanese, but turned around and said, "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you." Natalie shook her head a little, and said, "Well, my broken dishes aren't going to thank you, but I will; I found them quite hideous, personally." Haruhi laughed, and a tall boy with glasses said, "We'll be sure to repay you for them." He spoke fluent English, but with that same accented quirk at his R's and L's. Natalie shook her head in response, and said, "No problem, I can get another set sent in from home. Maybe this time my mother will allow the set I liked to be sent." The boy nodded, and without taking his eyes off of her, said, "Haruhi, aren't you going to introduce us?" Haruhi jumped slightly, startled, but nodded quickly and made the introductions.

"Of course. Natalie-san, this is Kyouya-senpai, Hikaru and Kaoru, Hanni-senpai, Mori-senpai, and the idiot is Tamaki-senpai. Everyone, this is Natalie-san. We met in the elevator."

At the mention of the word 'idiot', the blonde boy who had picked himself off the floor at Natalie's arrival looked shocked and hurt. _"D-Demo, Haruhiii..." _He began to whine, and she responded quickly in curt Japanese. Natalie could tell from his reaction that Haruhi had not sugarcoated any of her words regarding the boy's current behaviour.

Noting this, the boy in the glasses said, "Tamaki, don't you think you're being a bit rude? You've just been introduced to a young woman. Haven't you just been saying you wish to show American women your 'princely charms', as you call them?" The boy whom Haruhi had introduced as Kyouya turned back and bowed with an apologetic smile. "My sincere apologies if our resident idiot has shown you disregard, Miss Natalie. I assure you it was not our intention for him to be rude."

The blonde reacted as though struck by lightning, and Natalie heard him tearfully mutter in Japanese, catching the phrase 'Okaa-san" in the process. Remembering from her culture lessons about the Eastern culture in high school, she bowed back, responding with as polite a smile as Kyouya's.

"No offense has been taken, Kyouya-san. I'm sure moving to a new continent has made him a little unsure of his surroundings. I'm sure he will be _bien dans sa peau_ very soon." Natalie made sure to add the traditional honorific at the end of his name, and saw him smile as he noted the gesture.

"I'm glad of it." He responded politely, and she could tell by his gaze that he was re-evaluating his calculations about her already. _'Now there's a mastermind, make no mistake.'_ She thought instantly, but her attention was reclaimed by the blonde. The expression on his face had changed completely as he heard her speak French, and now he spoke up again, this time directly to her.

"_Parlez-vous francais, Mademoiselle?"_ He inquired, and Natalie smiled and responded, "_Oui, j'ai parle francais depuis que je suis une fille."_ The boy smiled now, a genuine smile, and said, _"C'est un plaisir de vous recontrer."_ Natalie bowed her head respectfully, and replied, _"Merci, monsieur. Charmee."_

The others in the group had been watching this exchange in silence, but now one of the twins -Kaoru, Natalie thought- spoke up in Japanese. He sounded vaguely annoyed, and Haruhi responded with, "_Hikaru."_ sharply, and some more Japanese, sounding reproachful.

The twins sighed together, and turned to eye Natalie suspiciously. She watched them approach, aware that to back away from them would be displaying weakness, something she felt they were looking for.

"So, Natarie-san." the twin named Hikaru said, struggling with her name, and Natalie noted that his hair parted to his right side. "What will you be learning at the university?"

"What he means is, what are you studying?" The other twin corrected accordingly. His control of English was a little better, but he was by no means fluent.

Natalie smiled a little, and replied, "I'm Majoring in Languages, but I'm also getting a Minor in History. I love learning about other cultures."

At this point the shorter blonde boy -Natalie remembered he had been introduced as "Honey"- spoke up, and said, "That's wonderful! History is also your Minor, isn't it, Takashi?" The huge boy to Honey's immediate left nodded, and Honey continued, "Hey hey, maybe you'll even have classes together! Wouldn't that be fun?" The boy he had called Takashi nodded again, but there was no emotion on his face when he locked eyes with Natalie and said, "Yeah."

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what are all of you studying?" Natalie asked as everyone settled in on the couch and chairs decorating what turned out to be Kyouya's sumptuous living room.

"I'll be studying law. I'm going to be a lawyer like my mother." Haruhi said happily, and Natalie smiled. "I'm sure you'll be very good at that." She said kindly, and Haruhi bowed her head politely in thanks.

"Takashi will be studying Law as well, too, won't you?" Honey asked his larger companion, and the boy nodded in response. "Personally, I'll be studying business, more specifically stuff about Research and Development. I want to create new things." Natalie looked at him in interest, and said "That sounds intriguing. What sort of things are you looking to create?"

"I want to create my own race team, and I also want to design a line of plush toys." He said, pulling from behind him a small rabbit plush, which was bright pink.

"This is Bun-Bun. Would you like to hold him?"

Natalie smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you. Besides, he looks like he's more comfortable with you." Something in Natalie's peripheral vision caused her to look up and see the ghost of a smile that touched the taller boy's lips. It was gone just as quickly as it had come, but Natalie was certain that it was there.

_'So he does show some emotion.'_ She thought as the talk turned to Tamaki, who would be studying business alongside Kyouya and Honey.

Time passed, and Natalie found herself enjoying the company of these boys. As well, Haruhi was quickly becoming a close friend, a fact that was proved when the girls had to unite against the boys in a spirited game of chess. The girls lost spectacularly to Kyouya, whom informed them afterwards that they did very well, and even commended Natalie on being able to see through some of his ploys.

All in all, it was an entertaining afternoon, until Natalie realized that her entire apartment lay beneath her, unpacked, and she still had to go to the marketplace down the street for ingredients to cook herself some supper.

Excusing herself, she made sure to promise to visit again tomorrow after orientation, at Tamaki's insistence.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said just before she took her leave. "I've decided that you can all call me Nattie, instead of my full name." Looks were exchanged, and Tamaki spoke up, "You would prefer to be called Natti-chan?" Natalie nodded, and said, "It's nicer than having you struggle with my name. Besides," at this she shrugged and continued thoughtfully. "I've always wanted a nickname."

Smiles all around, and everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright then, from now on we will refer to you as Natti-chan." Natalie smiled in appreciation, and said, "I'm glad. I'll see you tomorrow, everyone." She waved, and everyone called out their goodbyes. As she was walking down the hall, she realized how nice it must be to have an entire floor of apartments for the exclusive use of you and your friends. _'I've got to see if they'll let me move up here.'_ Even as she had the thought, she shook her head and smiled. _'On second thought, maybe not. I don't think I could live that close to them yet. One floor below is close enough. For now.'_

As she made her way back towards her apartment, the boy who had questioned her earlier appeared in the hallway. He noticed her walking, and folded his arms as he asked, "Oi, did you find out what all that bangin' was? I haven't heard it for a while, thought maybe you did somethin' to stop it."

Natalie smiled, and said, "Yeah, it was an upstairs neighbor jumping around his friend's apartment. Apparently a whole group of kids moved in on exchange from Japan." The boy shook his head, and said, "Well, they'll be havin' a chat with me an' my boys if they keep that up through the year. I don't like noisy neighbors."

"I'm sure they'll keep it down." Natalie assured him, and he smiled at her in spite of his annoyance. He was good-looking, maybe 19, and Natalie could see a couple more boys inside the apartment. "Name's Chase," He said, and Natalie reached out and shook his hand.

"Natalie." She replied, smiling.

"Hey, if ever you want a good party, just let us know. My boys an' I'll hook you up." He spoke confidently, and Natalie was sure he was looking for an excuse to hang out with her.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said, still smiling, and raised her hand in farewell as she made her way back to her apartment. He wasn't overly aggressive in trying to see her again, she decided, as she closed the door and began looking for her wallet. He appeared nice enough, even if he did seem a little over-confident at first. _'Yeah,'_ she thought, as she left her apartment once again, intent on reaching that little marketplace two streets down before they closed. _'He doesn't seem too bad. Maybe I really will keep that in mind.'_


End file.
